One of Tesla’s latest features included in the 2021.24.4 release is Car Wash Mode. The feature was initially available for all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles and it has more recently been added to the redesigned Model S and Model X. Unfortunately, it’s not available for the older Model S or Model X models.
For the most part, this feature doesn't add anything new. You could already turn off most of these car wash related features manually, but using Car Wash Mode makes it much easier. It also provides a useful status of each feature that is relevant during a car wash so that you can use it as a checklist.
Car Wash Mode can help prevent damage to cars for many owners when using automatic car washes. For example, it’ll lock your charge port door to prevent it from opening when a brush pushes against it. It also disables your wipers, preventing them from coming on and getting tangled or caught in a car wash’s felt strips.
After arriving at a car wash, you can enable Car Wash Mode by going to Car Controls > Service > Car Wash Mode. The car will immediately perform a variety of things for you to get your car ready.
Your vehicle will automatically close your windows and other things to prevent water from getting into the car. This includes the charge port, windows and if your car is equipped with an automatic trunk, it’ll close the trunk for you as well.
It does quite a bit more than just close your windows for you though. It’ll disable your auto wipers, lock the charge port door, turn off Sentry Mode, disable walk-away door locking and even disable the parking sensor chimes to prevent unwanted beeping during the car wash.
As of update 2025.26, it'll even warn you if any windows are opened while you're going through the car wash.
For automatic car washes that use conveyor belts, you will need to put your Tesla into neutral. Now, if you’ve never done that before, it’s not very obvious in a Tesla. It requires you to have your foot on the brake pedal while pushing the gear stalk up or down and holding it for a split second. Car Wash Mode makes it much easier to get into neutral.
There’s an “Enable Free Roll” button that you can easily tap in Car Wash Mode that will put your vehicle in neutral, which is required in many car washes. You'll need to be in drive and have your foot on the brake pedal for the button to be enabled. No need to mess with the gear stalk anymore.
One of the nicest features of Car Wash Mode is the great overview it gives you of your vehicle and all of its features that are relevant during an automatic car wash.
It’ll display a list of each feature and give you a red or green status light to alert you of any issues. For example, if you left your trunk open or window open, it would show a red light and display “Trunk: Open.”
It’s sort of a car wash checklist with a live status for each feature. It’ll even show you the status of the climate system, which you likely want to turn off or set to recirculating while in the car wash.
On the Car Wash Mode screen, you also have easy access to Screen Clean Mode and the ability to fold your mirrors if needed.
You can exit Car Wash Mode by tapping the exit button or simply by putting your car into Drive and going above 10 MPH.
Car Wash Mode is a nice addition that makes it easier to go to a car wash and could prevent some costly mistakes like leaving a window open or leaving the automatic wipers enabled.
